What are Technical Standards?
Technical standards describe how to do a particular procedure, in a particular way. In the retail marketplace the use of technical standards guarantees that parts produced by different manufacturers will work together. The goal in using technical standards in information services, libraries, and publishing is to achieve compatibility and therefore interoperability between equipment, data, practices, and procedures so information can be made easily and universally available.
The Benefits of Standardization
Technical standards can make information systems easier to use and less expensive to operate. The development of technical standards allows communication between information users (such as libraries), publishers, and other information providers about key methods, practices, procedures, and formats reflecting broadly based marketplace requirements.
The adoption of technical standards by those who develop and sell products and services offers the prospect of expanded markets domestically and abroad. Producers and service providers can realize economies of scale and efficiencies as they address larger markets.
Consumers in the information marketplace benefit from technical standards as an assurance that products and services from various sources meet a recognized level of quality. To the extent that such products and services are interchangeable, technical standards promote competition among suppliers and offer increased prospects for cost efficiencies and lower prices to consumers
Technical Standards That Make a Difference
There are over fifty American National Standards used in libraries, information services, and publishing. All of these standards were developed and are maintained by the National Information Standards Organization. You have used many of these standards. Some of NISOs best known standards are:
Electronic Manuscript Preparation and Markup (NISO/ANSI/ISO 12083) provides off-the-shelf document type definitions (DTD) for books, articles, serials, and mathematics. 12083 is an application of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language, ISO 8879) and can be used with the majority of SGML software without modification. Simple HyTime links have been included in 12083, so documents implementing 12083 can be used as hubs of HyTime webs.
Information Interchange Format (Z39.2) sets the standard communication format for exchanging information about books, serials, and other library holdings. This standard was first agreed on over twenty-five years ago and has made possible the wide scale application of automation in libraries. National bibliographic utilities and the vendors of library systems have benefited immeasurable from the introduction and implementation of this standard.
Paper Permanence (Z39.48) sets the specifications for permanent and durable papers. Alkaline (non-acid) paper produced according to the specifications described in this standard will last several hundred years. In the first ten years since the introduction of this standard a growing number of manufacturers are producing papers meeting the requirements of Z39.48. The potential cost savings to libraries is enormous, as libraries will be able to reduce the amount of money devoted to preservation microfilming and deacidification programs. An added benefit is that alkaline paper mills produce less pollution and contribute to a cleaner environment for all.
CD-ROM Volume and File Structure (NISO/ANSI/ISO 9660) sets out a standardized way to organize data stored on a CD-ROM, much like a table of contents organizes the chapters and sections of a book. Standardizing this information allows a common retrieval software to locate the information you want on a CD-ROM.
Common Command Language (Z39.58) standardizes an agreed-upon set of terms and commands for automated bibliographic systems. When every online library catalog or database is accessible through this language it will be much easier for users to find the information they need.
International Standard Serial Numbers (Z39.9) or ISSNs are unique eight-digit code numbers which identify a serial publication. Today, ISSNs are assigned to over half a million journal publications worldwide. The assignments and use of the ISSN has made possible the creation of a unique international database which makes it easier, faster, and less expensive to identify and access serial publications.
Throughout the world standards development generally is a function of the national government and adherence to national standards is often a matter of law. In the United States technical standards are developed through a voluntary consensus process in which representatives of diverse interests such as manufacturers and consumers work together. The National Information Standards Organization is the only recognized and accredited body in the United States which carries out this work for libraries, information services, and publishers.
NISO organizes committees of experts that volunteer their time and knowledge to develop and write standards. Over five hundred persons are involved as members of NISO standards committees. All NISO standards are reviewed, and revised if necessary, on a regular basis to assure that the standard is useful and still needed.
An extensive program of voluntary international standards which affect libraries, information services, and publishing is carried out by Technical Committee 46 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). NISO is the recognized and accredited United States representative to this work.
Standards Committees are developing new or revised NISO American National Standards in the following areas:
Some of NISO's newest standards include: